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Peter Bjorn and John Ready Free Hip-Hop Mixtape
Kanye West's remix of Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" set a high water mark for the small (but growing) realm of hip-hoppers sampling indie acts. And if just one PB&J remix was enough to make music junkies scramble for their "reblog" buttons, then howzabout a whole album of them? As we just learned from MTV, mixtape maven Mick Boogie will be orchestrating the release of Re-Living Things, a hip-hop remix mixtape (remixtape?) of PB&J's Living Things.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsIf You're Happy and You Know It: The 13 Best Songs with Handclaps
Despite the wide variety of musicians at Bonnaroo this year, there was a commonality I observed at nearly every set, from Snoop Dogg to TV on the Radio to Bon Iver: the prevalence of the handclap. The crowd went wild each time the band gave them a beat they could clap along to, and the musicians seemed to appreciate the response. Why are handclaps so appealing? Maybe it's the sing-alongs we're taught as children, like "B-I-N-G-O" and of course, "If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands." Maybe it's the interactive nature of making percussion along with the... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayChester French releases EP, preps Feb. full-length
Sometimes bands are preordained for success... read more
Found in: Music, NewsTalib Kweli headlines Hip Hop Live! tour
You would think that there is nowhere to go but down after you collaborate on a single with the second most awesome man at Princeton University, Cornel West. (The first being, naturally, Stephen Kotkin, everyone's favorite MC and Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History.)... read more
Found in: Music, NewsNas and Talib Kweli set out on small-venue tour
Sit back and press play on this video.And let the epic ride of Nas' 2001 single "One Mic" engulf you: the internal build-up, the sirens, the street scene. Now, the verse where Nas, poised as ever, has his message down to a whisper, saying "All I need is one blunt, one page, and one pen, one prayer - tell God forgive me for one sin." Picture the build up as he becomes so empassioned he has to shout over the frantic beat, searching for some sort of metaphorical balance until he finds "the right track" and his voice is once... read more
Found in: Music, NewsTalib Kweli, Two Gallants, more to play Noise benefit shows
Noise for the Needy, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that raises money for charities through its summer music festival, has announced some initial artists for this year’s shows. Held throughout Seattle in June, the festival brings together over 30 bands from a variety of genres. This year, proceeds from all concerts will go to Urban Rest Stop, an organization offering individuals and families clean and safe restrooms, showers and laundry facilities in Seattle for free. A calendar of complete shows scheduled is forthcoming. A kick-off movie event is scheduled for May 14 at The Triple Door featuring David Schmader’s Showgirls, at... read more
Found in: Music, NewsTalib Kweli
In the rap game, beef has always trumped bonhomie. So it's a little unusual to hear a fellow hip-hopper envying somebody else's game publicly, as Jay-Z did on his 2003 "retirement" opus, The Black Album: "If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be / Lyrically, Talib Kweli"... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesDownload Talib Kweli/Cornel West single
Hidden Beach Forum has released a single by Talib Kweli from Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations, a politically charged album released in partnership with Dr. Cornel West’s Black Men Who Mean Business. Called “Bushanomics,” the song criticizes President George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina and features interjections from Dr. West like “We go from the bling-bling to let freedom ring.” A professor of religion at Princeton University, Dr. West will participate in the Essence Music Festival Empowerment Seminar Series in New Orleans this Sunday. He and other Never Forget collaborators will discuss the topic “Hip-Hop Moving to A... read more
Found in: Music, NewsTalib Kweli Signs with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records announced Saturday that Talib Kweli will be added to the Warner family. In addition to signing to the label, the rapper has secured WBR marketing and distribution for new artists he and partner Corey Smyth sign to their Blacksmith Music Corp. label. The first release under the new Blacksmith/Warner Bros. imprint will be a solo-record from Jean Grae, slated to drop in spring 2006.... read more
Found in: Music, News
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